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January 28 at 10:00 am (Pacific time zone)
Joseph Benatov: Jewish Bulgaria: A virtual Sephardic Journey
Joseph Benatov: Jewish Bulgaria: A virtual Sephardic Journey
Join us for a dynamic interactive trip through Bulgaria’s rich Jewish heritage. We will focus on notable moments and individuals from the rich and varied history of Sephardic life in Bulgaria. Our virtual tour will start with the arrival of Iberian Jews to the Ottoman empire and the establishment of the first Sephardic communities in towns such as Nikopol, Sofia, Plovdiv, Pazardzhik, Russe (Ruschuk), Vidin, and Samokov. Learn about some of the most prominent Sephardic rabbis, intellectuals, and merchants from Bulgarian history. For those interested in conducting genealogical and historical research, the presentation will also offer a historiographic overview of the main sources on Bulgarian Jewish history.
Joseph Benatov holds a Ph.D. in comparative literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches Hebrew. He is originally from Bulgaria and a member of Sofia’s Jewish community. Joseph has over 20 years of experience leading travelers across the Balkans, including UNESCO representatives, 92nd Street Y visitors, JDC board members, and Anti-Defamation League officials. He lectures regularly on the history of Jewish life in Bulgaria and on Balkan Sephardic culture. Every summer Joseph leads Jewish heritage tours to the Sephardic Balkans. You can find out more at https://sephardicbalkans.com/
Register in advance for this Zoom presentation. Click this link to register.
Joseph Benatov holds a Ph.D. in comparative literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches Hebrew. He is originally from Bulgaria and a member of Sofia’s Jewish community. Joseph has over 20 years of experience leading travelers across the Balkans, including UNESCO representatives, 92nd Street Y visitors, JDC board members, and Anti-Defamation League officials. He lectures regularly on the history of Jewish life in Bulgaria and on Balkan Sephardic culture. Every summer Joseph leads Jewish heritage tours to the Sephardic Balkans. You can find out more at https://sephardicbalkans.com/
Register in advance for this Zoom presentation. Click this link to register.
March 17 at 10:00 am (Pacific time zone)
Alan Shuchat: History of Jewish Migration, the Diaspora, and Changing National Borders
Alan Shuchat: History of Jewish Migration, the Diaspora, and Changing National Borders
Where were the centers of Jewish population? How did changes in European history affect where Jews lived? How does this knowledge help us in researching our family backgrounds? We will see the effect of changing borders on the language in which records were kept and where they can be found today. We will discuss how Jews emigrated from the Russian Empire and the various routes they took to leave.
Alan Shuchat is a retired mathematics professor who has been researching his family’s history for several decades. He is on the Program Committee of the JGS of Greater Boston, is active in genealogy SIGs, has helped members with Ukraine research and Russian translations, and has worked on translations for JewishGen databases. He has spoken on Jewish agricultural colonies, migration patterns, and finding records from the Russian Empire.
Register in advance for this Zoom presentation. Click this link to register.
Alan Shuchat is a retired mathematics professor who has been researching his family’s history for several decades. He is on the Program Committee of the JGS of Greater Boston, is active in genealogy SIGs, has helped members with Ukraine research and Russian translations, and has worked on translations for JewishGen databases. He has spoken on Jewish agricultural colonies, migration patterns, and finding records from the Russian Empire.
Register in advance for this Zoom presentation. Click this link to register.
April 21 at 10:00 am (Pacific time zone)
Ellen Kowitt: New Jewish Resources on the Giant Genealogy Websites
Ellen Kowitt: New Jewish Resources on the Giant Genealogy Websites
Enjoy this updated comparative overview of Jewish record collections and research tools found on the global powerhouse websites referred to as “Genealogy Giants.” Comparing Ancestry, FamilySearch, Findmypast, and MyHeritage, this lecture includes many substantive record examples. Learn how each site can be helpful for documenting Jewish families and get tips on each site’s best features or challenges. Current JewishGen partnerships with Ancestry and MyHeritage are featured.
Ellen Kowitt (pronounced KO-witt, like KO-dak) is founder and principal genealogist at Sole Searching Genealogy & Historical Research. Specializing in American records and Jewish ancestry, she lectures at national conferences and has published articles in Family Tree Magazine and Avotaynu: The International Journal on Jewish Genealogy. Ellen received her B.A. from Alfred University and spent twenty-five years working in marketing management and communications before transitioning into full-time research. Ellen completed ProGen and several genealogical institutes, and she is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. She has volunteered in a variety of leadership positions throughout the genealogy community and currently serves as Director of the JewishGen USA Research Division as well as DAR National Vice Chair of Jewish Specialty Research. Originally from New York, Ellen resides in Colorado with her family. For more information, visit www.EllenKowitt.com.
Ellen Kowitt (pronounced KO-witt, like KO-dak) is founder and principal genealogist at Sole Searching Genealogy & Historical Research. Specializing in American records and Jewish ancestry, she lectures at national conferences and has published articles in Family Tree Magazine and Avotaynu: The International Journal on Jewish Genealogy. Ellen received her B.A. from Alfred University and spent twenty-five years working in marketing management and communications before transitioning into full-time research. Ellen completed ProGen and several genealogical institutes, and she is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. She has volunteered in a variety of leadership positions throughout the genealogy community and currently serves as Director of the JewishGen USA Research Division as well as DAR National Vice Chair of Jewish Specialty Research. Originally from New York, Ellen resides in Colorado with her family. For more information, visit www.EllenKowitt.com.
June 23 at 10:00 am (Pacific time zone)
Vera Miller: Taking On Ukranian Genealogy in the 21st Century
Vera Miller: Taking On Ukranian Genealogy in the 21st Century
For those doing their Ukrainian genealogy, the Russo-Ukrainian war raises serious concerns about what is happening to Ukrainian archive records. Vera will talk about efforts taking place to secure those records for future generations. She will also show how to find the millions of Ukrainian archive records online without knowing Ukrainian.
Vera will also detail the best resources and tools for Ukrainian genealogy, including Google Translate. Her presentation also provides the latest news about FamilySearch’s efforts to digitize Ukrainian archive records.
Vera Ivanova Miller, a former newspaper reporter, has been researching her ancestry from Ukraine, Russia and Poland since 2006. Her journey was the inspiration to start in 2011 a blog, “Find Lost Russian and Ukrainian Family", one of 2023 Family Tree Magazine's 101 Best Websites. Her accompanying genealogy group on Facebook, Find Your Lost Russian and Ukrainian Family, has more than 5,300 members who speak English, Russian, Ukrainian and other languages to help each other on their genealogy from the former Russian Empire.
Thanks to learning how to use Russian- and Ukrainian-language resources online, Vera has been able to get her Eastern European family tree researched back to the 1600s. She is the author of “Genealogy at a Glance: Ukrainian Genealogy Research” and “Genealogy at a Glance: Russian Genealogy Research”, publications of Genealogical Publishing Co.
Since 2021, the mother of two boys has given online genealogy presentations to various organizations. Vera enjoys making time for projects and photo requests for FindAGrave, her hobby since 2014. She is the daughter of a Russian father and Ukrainian mother.
Vera will also detail the best resources and tools for Ukrainian genealogy, including Google Translate. Her presentation also provides the latest news about FamilySearch’s efforts to digitize Ukrainian archive records.
Vera Ivanova Miller, a former newspaper reporter, has been researching her ancestry from Ukraine, Russia and Poland since 2006. Her journey was the inspiration to start in 2011 a blog, “Find Lost Russian and Ukrainian Family", one of 2023 Family Tree Magazine's 101 Best Websites. Her accompanying genealogy group on Facebook, Find Your Lost Russian and Ukrainian Family, has more than 5,300 members who speak English, Russian, Ukrainian and other languages to help each other on their genealogy from the former Russian Empire.
Thanks to learning how to use Russian- and Ukrainian-language resources online, Vera has been able to get her Eastern European family tree researched back to the 1600s. She is the author of “Genealogy at a Glance: Ukrainian Genealogy Research” and “Genealogy at a Glance: Russian Genealogy Research”, publications of Genealogical Publishing Co.
Since 2021, the mother of two boys has given online genealogy presentations to various organizations. Vera enjoys making time for projects and photo requests for FindAGrave, her hobby since 2014. She is the daughter of a Russian father and Ukrainian mother.